Vallejo leaders find no clear path in setting new spending priorities

The Vallejo City Council, in an early 2013-2014 city budget discussion Tuesday night, agreed that they cannot always see eye-to-eye on how parceling out city funds.

Particularly when it comes to nearly $10 million a year in a decade-long city sales tax, Measure B, approved by voters in 2011.

But Councilwoman Stephanie Gomes, whose second four-year term ends at the end of this year, said she has seen a marked improvement in council relations, not to mention Vallejo's fiscal situation.

"If you remember, in '07, '08, we were really going at it -- it was brutal up here," Gomes said, referring to the months leading up to and following Vallejo's May 2008 Chapter 9 bankruptcy filing. "And we're not doing that anymore. We're a lot better than where we were, and I think we can get there."

Gomes' comments came after a lengthy public discussion on city priorities for Measure B, a meeting designed to help city staff members fine tune the upcoming budget plan, which must be approved before July 1.

A significant area of discussion by the council, mirroring earlier comments by the public, boiled down to whether Vallejo should continue its pilot experiment with participatory budgeting, which calls on the public to craft and pitch community projects.

Councilwoman Marti Brown, a major proponent of participatory budgeting, also shared concerns over trying to budget with employee contract negotiations still ongoing.

"Talking about spending Measure B monies when we haven't really resolved what our General Fund is going to look like is, for me personally, I find it very challenging. It's like a moving target," Brown said.

City Manager Dan Keen was unable to reassure Brown that finalized information would soon emerge.

"There are a lot of uncertainties," Keen said. "We may be living with the uncertainties late into the process."

Keen reassured the council that final spending decisions were not necessary Tuesday, however.

The council also gave the green light to Keen to begin drafting ballot language proposing that the city move its elections from odd to even years, along with other minor Vallejo City Charter updates. Election years for most in Solano County either have already switched to even years, or, in the case of Benicia city and school district and Vallejo City Unified School District, are in the final stages of converting.

Contact staff writer Jessica A. York at (707) 553-6834 or jyork@timesheraldonline.com. Follow her on Twitter @JYVallejo.